RGIII (1 Viewer)

[Bob Magaw]

this is invoked a lot...

there could be a key difference, conferring on RGIII relative upside (at least in that attribute)...

some of the things that vick does, like sensing pressure and evading the rush, his open field scrambling ability, are instinctive, god given talent and not about being playbook learned...

but by his own admission, he got by on his natural talent and elite physical skills until returning from his suspension...

RGIII, by all accounts is bright and hard working (graduated a year and a half ago, reportedly wants to get a masters degree)... knowing the playbook inside and out, knowing where every offensive and defensive player on the field should be, being able to read keys, having the mindset to study opponents for predictability tells, knowing what the passing target progressions are, etc, can give a different type of advantage... once he gets acclimated to the speed of the game, faster defenders, smaller passing lanes and coverage windows, being smarter could give him the advantage of ANTICIPATION, which should eventually enable him to play faster (not faster runner in the open field, but in the sense of being able to process information more quickly on how to best distribute the ball to other playmakers, like a point guard)...

hypothetically, how would vick's (or randall cunningham's, for that matter) career have unfolded differently if he had been as hard working and cerebral as manning!

 

[cstu]

My opinion of Vick is that he was too good of a runner to be a traditional QB. When you have freakish running ability like he had it would be damn near impossible not to take an opening when you see it.

As for Cunningham, he deserves some blame but Buddy Ryan had no interest in helping him become a better QB or putting talent around him on offense. My hope is that RG3 becomes what Cunningham should have been - imagine RG3 at 25 what Cunningham was at 35 with the Vikings.

 

[houndirish]

For me the litmus test is how much RG3 will rely upon his legs. Vick was so freakishly athletic and elusive running the ball that it wasn't an option to even consider reining him in. Not to mention he wasn't exemplary as a passer so taking away his best weapon and then asking him to win games as a pocket passer didn't make much sense.

I tend to beleive in RG3's ability to throw moreso than Vick's. While it wouldn't surprise me to see him scramble in the face of pressure his rookie season, he'll need to gain a comfort in beating the rush with his arm with greater frequency than his legs. If he becomes a QB that NEEDS to scramble to win games (which is what Vick was in his Falcons career) then I think he disappoints. He'll also subject himself to greater chance of injury as a habitual runner. However if he relies primarily on his arm and uses his legs as an added weapon I think he becomes the elite talent the Skins envisioned. If pressed to predict which way he goes I cautiously lean towards option B. I don't think its automatic but I like his chances.

 

[Bob Magaw]

vick has a howitzer for an arm, but RGIII has exhibited rare deep touch, which seemingly bodes well for his projection (some QBs never get that)...

 

[johnadams]

hypothetically, how would vick's (or randall cunningham's, for that matter) career have unfolded differently if he had been as hard working and cerebral as manning!

Steve Young comes to mind.

 

[Bob Magaw]

hypothetically, how would vick's (or randall cunningham's, for that matter) career have unfolded differently if he had been as hard working and cerebral as manning!

Steve Young comes to mind.

i like that comp... especially coming from one of the founding fathers of the US!and as good an ath-o-lete as young was, RGIII has borderline world class, olympic caliber hurdler wheels... a tantalizing constellation of traits...

 

[johnadams]

hypothetically, how would vick's (or randall cunningham's, for that matter) career have unfolded differently if he had been as hard working and cerebral as manning!

Steve Young comes to mind.

i like that comp... especially coming from one of the founding fathers of the US!and as good an ath-o-lete as young was, RGIII has borderline world class, olympic caliber hurdler wheels... a tantalizing constellation of traits...

Agreed. To me, RGIII's real challenge will be going from very good to great. There's little doubt in my mind that with his skills and drive, he will be a very good NFL QB. To get to great though, he'll have to transition from relying on his physical talent to overcome to relying on his mental game, which has been difficult for the great athletic QBs like Cunningham, Young, and Vick. For guys like Manning and Brady who are not in the pure athlete class of guys like Vick and RGIII, this is a relatively easy transition as it is not a viable option. But Young struggled with this quite a bit early in his career to the point that he was essentially an cast off by the time the niners got him. Part of that was TB/LA Express debacles, but part was because he could rely on his superior physical talents. I'm hopeful that RGIII will get a ton of help from Shanny, who directly oversaw Youngs ascension as the OC during Young's first years as a starter.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

My opinion of Vick is that he was too good of a runner to be a traditional QB. When you have freakish running ability like he had it would be damn near impossible not to take an opening when you see it.As for Cunningham, he deserves some blame but Buddy Ryan had no interest in helping him become a better QB or putting talent around him on offense. My hope is that RG3 becomes what Cunningham should have been - imagine RG3 at 25 what Cunningham was at 35 with the Vikings.

Another QB to take the Vikings to the NFC Champ and fall short?

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Agree with Bob about RG III, he should not be compared to Vick. If he can make it at the next level though, he has the skills to be as explosive as what many had hoped for in Vick.

 

[cstu]

My opinion of Vick is that he was too good of a runner to be a traditional QB. When you have freakish running ability like he had it would be damn near impossible not to take an opening when you see it.As for Cunningham, he deserves some blame but Buddy Ryan had no interest in helping him become a better QB or putting talent around him on offense. My hope is that RG3 becomes what Cunningham should have been - imagine RG3 at 25 what Cunningham was at 35 with the Vikings.

Another QB to take the Vikings to the NFC Champ and fall short?

That was Cunningham's fault?

 

[Sabertooth]

vick has a howitzer for an arm, but RGIII has exhibited rare deep touch, which seemingly bodes well for his projection (some QBs never get that)...

Moss and Garcon might be able to take advantage of that.

 

[Sabertooth]

His upside is Aaron Rodgers but with way more speed.